Ch. 1061At the Gate

Albert learned that Umbridge had used Veritaserum on Ginny and led Ministry Aurors to Hogwarts, so he went to stop them from entering the castle. He held the Aurors at the gates while waiting for Professor McGonagall or another professor to verify their mission.

  • Albert told Lee Jordan that Dumbledore might leave Hogwarts by choice and advised him to prepare to restrain the Ministry party and alter their memories if necessary.
  • After spotting many unfamiliar marks near the school gates, Albert went to the Entrance Hall and blocked the Aurors from entering, suspecting that Umbridge had brought reinforcements.
  • Albert deflected an Auror's curse and demanded that the group wait for a professor to confirm their credentials and mission.
  • Students gathered behind Albert and challenged the Aurors' presence, while Albert asked them to find a professor and had Filch collect the Aurors' names.
  • After half an hour without a professor arriving, Albert sent Filch to Professor McGonagall with the signed list.

Ch. 1062Accomplices

Fred, George, and the Hogwarts students attacked Fudge and Umbridge after they accused Dumbledore of plotting against the Ministry, while Albert kept the summoned Aurors outside the school. When Albert arrived, he confronted Fudge and Umbridge and began attacking them himself, leaving the Ministry officials at his mercy.

  • Fred, George, and Lee Jordan led students in disarming Fudge, Umbridge, and the Aurors, then stunned the Aurors.
  • Fred struck Umbridge while students took turns beating her, and they treated her injuries and altered the Ministry party’s memories.
  • The students beat Fudge and claimed that he and Umbridge had fallen because Peeves made the floor slippery.
  • Albert arrived with two Aurors, heard that Dumbledore had disappeared after being accused of forming an army, and told the Aurors not to bring their forces into Hogwarts.
  • After Fudge accused Dumbledore of forming an army, Umbridge called Albert an accomplice, and Albert slapped Fudge and punched Umbridge while the students pointed their wands at the Aurors.

Ch. 1063Well Done

After Fudge and Umbridge failed to capture Dumbledore, Albert helped keep their group’s memories confused while Hogwarts students drove them from the castle with U-No-Poo. Umbridge took over as headmistress, but faced growing resistance as the students celebrated and Fred and George weighed leaving school to open their joke shop.

  • Albert helped the students settle on a false account of how Fudge and his group had been knocked unconscious, then sent them to the Hospital Wing while he kept Aurors outside the castle.
  • Fudge woke up insisting Dumbledore was plotting against him, appointed Umbridge headmistress, and ordered Percy to send statements to the Daily Prophet and seek a warrant for Dumbledore.
  • Fred and George, Harry, and the Anti-Toad Alliance attacked Fudge and Umbridge with U-No-Poo, driving them out of Hogwarts as Professor McGonagall praised the students’ work.
  • The Ministry appointed Umbridge headmistress through a new Educational Decree, while students spread news of Dumbledore’s escape and mocked Umbridge with Trelawney’s prophecies.
  • Fred and George planned to teach the Investigation Action Group a lesson, and Albert explained that the twins might leave school because their joke shop dream mattered more to them than graduating.

Ch. 1064Chaos

Umbridge empowered Malfoy and his gang through the Investigation Action Group, provoking anger across Hogwarts and prompting the students and Weasley twins to prepare a counterattack. Peeves and the students’ pranks then overwhelmed Umbridge and her enforcers, leaving her isolated, unable to control the school, and desperate to discover how to drive the chaosmakers away.

  • Umbridge established the Investigation Action Group by decree and appointed Malfoy and his gang, who used their authority to harass the other Houses and deduct points.
  • Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan discussed how to resist the group, while the Weasley twins offered joke items at a discount to help students fight back.
  • With Albert’s support, Peeves unleashed pranks around Hogwarts, including Laughing Bombs, U-No-Poos, and Wolfsbane Flying Discs, and Umbridge’s attempts to stop him only caused more trouble.
  • Pranks and mishaps struck the Investigation Action Group, while students in Umbridge’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons repeatedly fainted, vomited, developed fevers, or suffered nosebleeds.
  • Umbridge failed to find or stop the cause of the mysterious illness, and Peeves continued tormenting her as students wondered how to drive her out.

Ch. 1065Deserved Punishment

Umbridge struggled to control Hogwarts as professors and students kept her busy with pranks, while Peeves tormented her with foul-smelling food. After the Ministry ordered Peeves expelled, Albert and the Weasley twins prepared to use the impending visit to stage a larger prank.

  • Umbridge and Filch chased enchanted toy flies around the castle while professors continued sending her problems to solve.
  • Peeves dumped canned herring on Umbridge at lunch and pursued her with another tin, driving diners from the Great Hall.
  • Fred and George told Albert that Umbridge had banned them from Quidditch and searched for evidence that Albert had helped Peeves.
  • Fred and George proposed turning the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom into a swamp, and Albert suggested targeting the corridor instead.
  • Lee Jordan reported that Umbridge had issued an Educational Decree to expel Peeves and planned to summon Ministry officials.
  • Albert urged the Weasley twins to unveil their protected Umbridge statues when the Ministry officials arrived, and news of the expulsion order spread through Hogwarts.

Ch. 1066A Thorough Beating

Albert warned Hagrid that Umbridge was about to have him arrested and helped him escape before the Aurors arrived. When Umbridge sent Aurors after Hagrid, Albert ambushed and incapacitated them, then returned to watch events at Hogwarts unfold.

  • Albert warned Hagrid that Umbridge planned to target him and urged him to leave the school with his wand and umbrella.
  • Hagrid left the Hunting Cabin with Fang before Umbridge and the Aurors arrived, and Umbridge found a taunting note Albert had left behind.
  • Umbridge sent half the Aurors to track Hagrid while she led the others into the castle to deal with Peeves.
  • Albert ambushed Delacour's group as they pursued Hagrid, stunning the Aurors one by one until Delacour also fell unconscious.
  • Albert removed his disguise near the Forbidden Forest and returned toward Hagrid's cabin to wait for the situation to settle.

Ch. 1067Truly Frightening

Umbridge arrived at Hogwarts and found a magically protected Toad statue mocking her, while the Aurors could neither destroy nor move it. She summoned Harry for questioning with Veritaserum, but he calmly anticipated the interrogation and drank the dose after warning her about it.

  • Filch warned Umbridge that Peeves had U-No-Poo, then Umbridge spotted a statue depicting her as a toad and failed to destroy it with her own and the Aurors’ spells.
  • Gawain Robards identified a Permanent Sticking Charm on the statue, and the Aurors covered it with cloth after declining to risk using Fiendfyre.
  • Umbridge sent Filch to fetch Harry and considered questioning Albert Anderson about the statue as well.
  • Harry left Charms class with Filch, took Veritaserum antidote and Calming Draught pills, and mocked the Ministry’s Aurors on the way to Umbridge’s office.
  • Umbridge offered Harry Pumpkin Juice dosed with Veritaserum, but Harry poured it out and instructed her to use only three drops in a fresh cup.
  • Harry drank the correctly measured Veritaserum and waited for Umbridge’s questions.

Ch. 1068Annihilated

Harry answered Umbridge’s questions under Veritaserum, revealing fragments about Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and Hagrid while withholding useful details. Peeves then incapacitated Umbridge and the Aurors, and Fred, George, and Lee Jordan turned the office into a filthy swamp before escaping with Harry.

  • Umbridge questioned Harry under Veritaserum, but secrecy magic blocked him from revealing Sirius Black’s location, and he gave her little useful information about the Order or Dumbledore’s Army.
  • Harry told Umbridge that Hagrid had contacted the giants and was helping maintain a secret base in the Forbidden Forest containing a weapon against Voldemort.
  • Peeves attacked the office with filth, Mandrake roots, and a crying metal ball, knocking out Harry, Umbridge, and the Aurors.
  • Fred and George replaced the Aurors’ wands with fakes, transformed Umbridge into a toad with Polyjuice Potion, and Lee Jordan photographed the scene.
  • Fred, George, and Lee Jordan spread Portable Swamp through the office, erased their traces, and left with Harry as Umbridge spun in circles singing.

Ch. 1069Infamous Far and Wide

Students discovered that Peeves had turned the Defense Against the Dark Arts Office into a foul-smelling swamp and left Umbridge and the Aurors unconscious, while a matching Toad statue became a spectacle in the entrance hall. Fudge sent Percy Weasley to deal with the aftermath, but news of the disaster and growing demands for Fudge to resign left the Minister under renewed public pressure.

  • Students uncovered a Toad statue resembling Umbridge in the entrance hall, and their spells could not move it.
  • Students opened the Defense Against the Dark Arts Office and found Umbridge and the Aurors unconscious in a filthy swamp; Professor McGonagall sealed the corridor and contacted the Ministry.
  • Madam Pomfrey refused to treat Umbridge and the Aurors, so Percy Weasley later took them to St. Mungo's despite the hospital's reluctance to admit them.
  • Fudge ordered Percy to investigate who was buying U-No-Poo and who was behind the attacks, then sent him to Hogwarts.
  • Fudge dismissed Percy before hearing his report about Delacour and his group, and the newspapers soon publicized the Aurors' defeat as calls for Fudge to resign grew louder.

Ch. 1070The One Who Solves Problems

Fudge convened Ministry officials after the Aurors’ humiliating defeat at Hogwarts, but Percy’s report cleared Albert Anderson of the attack. The officials discussed Anderson’s abilities and agreed to approach him for help finding the escaped Death Eaters, though Percy warned that Anderson might refuse or retaliate if provoked.

  • Fudge called a meeting to address the press coverage of the Aurors’ collapse and blamed Hogwarts for undermining the Ministry.
  • Scrimgeour warned that the Ministry lacked Aurors and that sending more personnel to Hogwarts or searching the Forbidden Forest could create further problems.
  • Amelia Bones pointed out that several recent incidents linked to the Department of Mysteries and urged the officials to investigate it.
  • Percy handed Piers Shinkle his report, which showed that Albert Anderson had been in Transfiguration class during the attack and could not have been the attacker.
  • Percy described Anderson as exceptionally powerful and warned that provoking him would be unwise, while explaining that the Ministry had failed to reward him for capturing Black and Peter.
  • Scrimgeour proposed contacting Anderson and offering Galleons for information that could help capture the escaped Death Eaters.

Ch. 1071Visitors

After Hagrid disappeared and Ministry activity around the Forbidden Forest fueled rumors, Rufus Scrimgeour visited Albert to ask for prophecies. Albert warned him that Amelia Bones would probably die, Scrimgeour might become Minister, and the Ministry would collapse without Dumbledore’s protection.

  • Hagrid vanished, and Albert told Harry and the others only that Hagrid was lying low.
  • Professor Grubbly-Plank confirmed that Ministry employees were active near the Forbidden Forest, sparking rumors of a hidden secret.
  • Rufus Scrimgeour met Albert in Professor McGonagall’s office and paid him to divine the Dark Lord’s whereabouts and the next Minister.
  • Albert cautioned Scrimgeour that Amelia Bones was likely to die and that he would become Minister if she did.
  • Albert warned that the Ministry would collapse within half a year without Dumbledore’s protection, leaving Scrimgeour troubled as he departed.

Ch. 1072Prepared

Albert discussed the coming war and his wedding plans with Isabelle before Dumbledore contacted him for help investigating Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Dumbledore revealed his suspicions about the objects and asked Albert to help obtain a crucial memory from Slughorn, but Albert suggested involving Potter instead.

  • Albert told Isabelle that their wedding would take place in mid-July at a French manor and that their Liquid Luck had finished brewing.
  • A gem on Albert’s bracelet glowed, and he used a Two-way Mirror to speak with Dumbledore, who thanked him for warning Hagrid and asked for help.
  • Dumbledore told Albert he had collected memories about Voldemort and suspected that Voldemort favored relics belonging to Hogwarts’ four founders.
  • Albert and Dumbledore discussed the suspected Horcruxes, including the Cup, Locket, Ring, Diadem, and Diary, and considered where Voldemort might have hidden them.
  • Dumbledore said Slughorn held crucial information about how many Horcruxes Voldemort intended to make, and Albert suggested that Dumbledore ask Potter to help obtain the memory.
  • After the conversation, Albert joined Isabelle for a late-night snack and teased her about eating before exercise.

Ch. 1073The Exposed Trap

Albert helped Fred, George, and Lee Jordan plan their joke shop while warning Harry that Voldemort’s recurring dreams were part of a trap. Harry decided to turn the trap against Voldemort, and Hermione was left shaken after Albert revealed that her attempts to free house-elves had caused them to stop cleaning Gryffindor Tower.

  • Fred showed Albert Bill’s detailed list and map of Diagon Alley premises, and Albert advised the twins to negotiate and wait for prices to fall.
  • Fred and George shared their shop designs, while their joke products, especially Fainting Fancies, sold well; the Quidditch captains cancelled the rest of the season to make time for Dumbledore’s Army.
  • Albert refused to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, so Snape took the temporary post, and Harry told Albert that his Occlumency lessons had failed and his dreams had grown clearer.
  • Albert suggested that Voldemort was influencing Harry’s mind and using the dreams to lure him into a trap; Harry decided to prepare for it and involve Sirius and the Order of the Phoenix.
  • Albert told Hermione that Dobby had taken her hidden hats and socks and that the house-elves had stopped cleaning Gryffindor Tower; Hermione was left wondering whether she had been wrong.

Ch. 1074The Advantage Is Ours

Sirius told the Order that Voldemort was using Harry’s recurring dreams to lure him into the Department of Mysteries for a Prophecy Orb. The Order debated a risky plan to turn the trap against Voldemort and left to seek Dumbledore’s help and prepare communications.

  • Sirius gathered the Order and explained that Harry suspected his recurring dreams, including Arthur’s snake attack, were part of a conspiracy.
  • Sirius argued that Voldemort was exploiting Harry’s instinct to rescue people and that the Order should support Harry when he was lured to the Department of Mysteries.
  • Sirius revealed that Anderson believed Voldemort wanted a Prophecy Orb, which only those concerned could retrieve, and urged the Order to stop Voldemort from learning its contents.
  • Molly and Professor McGonagall objected to using Harry as bait, but Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, and McGonagall backed preparing a detailed plan with Dumbledore’s help.
  • Sirius proposed making enchanted communication coins and temporarily driving Kreacher away so he might carry information to Sirius’s cousins.

Ch. 1075Not Short of Money

Hermione visited Albert in the Room of Requirement and discussed his plans, house-elf rights, and the Ministry’s politics. After Fred, George, and Lee Jordan brought shop photographs, Albert planned to buy several Diagon Alley premises before prices fell.

  • Hermione found Albert still at Hogwarts and asked how he had persuaded Rita Skeeter to publish articles in The Quibbler; Albert explained that he had promised her a future profit from reprint rights.
  • Hermione discussed helping house-elves and considered Ministry work, while Albert warned that power and politics could change people and explained why he avoided seeking authority.
  • Albert told Hermione he planned to write books and live comfortably after graduation because he already had enough money.
  • Fred, George, and Lee Jordan showed Albert photographs of potential shops and reported that they needed to answer the owners before the holiday.
  • Albert favored buying the best-located premises rather than renting, and Hermione realized he had ample money to acquire several Diagon Alley shops.

Ch. 1076Clear as Day

Lucius Malfoy gathered the Death Eaters to plan stealing the Prophecy Orb from the Ministry of Magic by luring Harry Potter there and controlling Ministry staff. The group also discussed the danger posed by Albert Anderson and prepared a Portkey escape plan.

  • Lucius Malfoy told the Death Eaters that Voldemort wanted the Prophecy Orb and explained that only someone named in the prophecy could remove it.
  • Lucius Malfoy described a plan to lure Harry Potter to the Ministry by making him believe Sirius Black had been captured, while the Death Eaters diverted Aurors and controlled Ministry personnel.
  • Dolohov raised concerns about Harry verifying Sirius's situation, and Lucius Malfoy said Kreacher's arrival at his house would help prevent that.
  • Avery warned that Albert Anderson might foresee the attack, but Lucius Malfoy said Albert was unlikely to learn of the plan and cautioned the Death Eaters against confronting him recklessly.
  • Avery reported that Albert might be getting married, prompting Bellatrix to suggest attacking him at the wedding.
  • Avery recommended preparing a retreat in case the Ministry plan failed, and Lucius Malfoy proposed using timed Portkeys disguised as socks.

Ch. 1077Easter for Each of Them

Albert spent Easter with Isabelle at Rose Manor while Katrina received an Easter Egg and prepared for her N.E.W.T. exams, and Fred and George planned a fireworks stunt for their departure. Harry received Liquid Luck and a communicator from Sirius, then confirmed that he, Ron, and Hermione would take part in a plan to draw Voldemort out.

  • Albert helped Isabelle make Easter Eggs, and they decided to keep one for themselves while sending Katrina another with sweets and exam advice.
  • Katrina received Isabelle's Easter Egg, then gathered her books and sweets to revise for the N.E.W.T. exams in the library.
  • Fred and George discussed their failed Surprise Eggs and planned to use fireworks to stage a memorable prank on Umbridge before leaving Hogwarts.
  • Harry received Liquid Luck, a communicator, and a letter from Sirius through Professor McGonagall, then explained the plan to Ron and Hermione.
  • Harry, Ron, and Hermione agreed to join the plan to lure Voldemort out, and Neville asked Harry to teach the group something beyond the Patronus Charm.

Ch. 1078Owl's Warning

Albert’s warning letters prompted some of his friends to flee or prepare for danger, while the Will de Smith Family planned safeguards for his wedding as Voldemort’s return neared exposure. Back at Hogwarts, Albert advised Fred, George, and Hermione, then received a coded message from Nicolas Flamel setting a time to make contact.

  • Ollivander hesitated to leave his shop after Albert warned him of danger at the end of June, while Florian Fortescue and Hertok Dagworth promptly made plans to leave England.
  • Bard, Mog, Gerber, and Tiberius Ogden discussed Voldemort’s return, the threat to Albert, and ways to protect his wedding, eventually deciding to place the manor under the Fidelius Charm.
  • Albert advised Fred and George to make their Easter Surprise Eggs varied and to time their farewell show so they could appear as heroes resisting Dolores Umbridge.
  • Hermione asked Albert about Harry’s plan, and he urged her to let Harry prepare and face the danger with his friends’ help.
  • Lee Jordan gave Albert an owl carrying a coded note from Nicolas Flamel that set their Two-way Mirror contact for April 22nd at eight in the evening.

Ch. 1079Simple, Unadorned Happiness

Albert struggled with the news that the elderly Le Me Couple would soon die, but his mood lifted when Dolores Umbridge returned to Hogwarts and students retaliated with pranks. Umbridge moved into a new office after falling into a swamp, only to find another swamp and a mocking sign outside it the next morning.

  • Albert learned from the Le Me Couple that their supply of Elixir of Life was nearly gone and that they planned to leave him their research materials.
  • Albert remained gloomy for several days despite Fred, George, and Lee Jordan's attempts to cheer him up.
  • Dolores Umbridge returned to Hogwarts and faced applause, U-No-Poo attacks, and a swamp trap in her office.
  • Filch helped Umbridge move to a new office after she fell into the swamp and struggled to get out.
  • Umbridge found U-No-Poo in her fireplace and a swamp with a mocking Anti-Toad Alliance sign outside her office the next morning.

Ch. 1080The Toad's Counterattack

Umbridge sought the Ministry’s help to regain control of Hogwarts, bringing healers, curse-breakers, and Aurors to counter the students’ tricks and Peeves. Peeves agreed to a limited contract with Umbridge, and the Ministry’s arrival confirmed that Umbridge had returned to the castle.

  • Umbridge told Fudge that Hogwarts was in chaos and proposed expelling Albert Anderson, but Fudge warned her not to provoke him and approved her plan for extra help.
  • Healers from St. Mungo's examined students who feigned Umbridge Syndrome, and Umbridge ordered the class to serve detention rather than skip lessons.
  • Ministry curse-breakers removed the corridor swamps, while Gawain Robards’s Aurors fought Peeves and reached a stalemate with him and the students.
  • Albert advised Peeves to sign a contract not to trouble the Headmaster, and Peeves agreed after Bloody Baron negotiated with him.
  • Ministry employees failed to remove the Toad statue in the entrance hall and covered it with an old cloth instead.
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